Sister Marian Therese Kohles, who served as a Sister of Providence for 64 years, died at St. Joseph Residence in Seattle, WA., at the age of 84.

Born in Oakland, Sister Kohles was the eighth of 14 children. She attended St. Elizabeth Elementary School and St. Elizabeth High School, when they were in same building. She and her siblings were in the St. Elizabeth schools from 1919 – 1955.

She entered the Novitiate of the Sisters of Providence on May 18, 1945. and attended Auerswald Business College in Seattle and Seattle University where she received a B.S. in Nursing in 1959. She earned her master’s degree in nursing, with a minor in education, at the University of Washington in 1962. She studied theology at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, and St. Mary’s College in Moraga from 1983-1988.

She spent many years in administration at Providence Hospital in Seattle, as director of finance (1951-54), assistant administrator (1962-67), and director of nursing services (1964-67).

She was head nurse in surgical services at Providence Hospital in Everett, WA.(1960-61), an instructor in the School of Nursing at Seattle University(1964-65), staff nurse at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco (1967-69), director of educational services at Rogue Valley Memorial Hospital, Medford, OR (1969-77), director of Providence Child Center, Portland, OR (1977-83), assistant administrator of mission effectiveness at St. Joseph Medical Center, Burbank (1985-89).

She served in mission effectiveness and as a Sister Representative at Providence Hospital in Oakland until she retired in 1994.

Between 1965 and 1977 she was involved in three research activities and wrote four publications regarding quality assurance in nursing and communication values in the administrative process.

In 2000, she was honored as the 2000 NCEA Catholic Elementary School Distinguished Graduate by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA).
Four brothers and four sisters preceded Sister Kohles in death. Survivors include one sister, Julie Cupp of Moraga; and four brothers, Francis of Moraga; Donald of Mariposa; Greg of Calistoga; and Richard of Hayden, Idaho; their spouses, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnieces, and great-grandnephews.

The funeral Mass was held Dec. 30 at Providence Mount St. Vincent in Seattle. Inurnment followed at Calvary Cemetery in Seattle.

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